Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State





Auschwitz occupies a chilling and disturbing place in the history of humankind. It began as a Nazi labor camp to terrorize the local Polish population and evolved into the site of the largest mass murder ever recorded. Narrated by actress Linda Hunt (The Practice, The Year of Living Dangerously), this six-part series, created in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the the liberation of Auschwitz, presents an in-depth examination of the camp’s evolution and the decisions that enabled such an incomprehensibly inhuman place to come into being.

Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State is a result of three years of research, drawing on the close involvement of world experts on the period, recently discovered documents and nearly 100 interviews with camp survivors and perpetrators, many of whom are speaking in detail for the first time. It interweaves this exceptional new testimony with archive footage and dramatic reconstructions of some of the key decision-making moments. While never losing sight of the suffering of the victims, this documentary offers a unique and alarming look at the mindset of the perpetrators – killers like the Commandant of Auschwitz Rudolf Höss; camp doctor Josef Mengele; and S.S. Commander Heinrich Himmler.

Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State is written and produced by Laurence Rees, the Creative Director of BBC History Programs. Assisting Mr. Rees is the award-winning Hitler biographer, Professor Ian Kershaw. The last major project that Laurence Rees and Professor Ian Kershaw worked on together was The Nazis – A Warning From History, which was shown in 30 countries and won eight international awards including the Peabody Award.



Part 1 - Surprising Beginnings

Sets the stage for the series and examines the radical increase in violence against all opponents of the Nazi state during this 18-month period. In particular, the program explores the importance of the German Army's invasion of the Soviet Union during the summer of 1941 and connects this campaign to the first gassing experiments in Auschwitz, which were aimed at Russian prisoners of war, not Jews.


Part 2 - Orders and Initiatives

Highlights the crucial decision-making period of the Holocaust and reveals the secret plans of Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, and Reinhard Heydrich to annihilate the Jews. At a conference in January 1942, the Nazis plan how to achieve their goals. The first gas chambers are built at Auschwitz and the use of Zyklon B is developed. German doctors arrive to oversee each transport, deciding who should live and who should die.


Part 3 - Factories of Death

Examines the complex annihilation system the Nazis spread throughout Europe, with Auschwitz as the hub. We learn why the first transport of Jewish men, women, and children interred at Drancy, outside Paris, were transported to Auschwitz in March 1942, and what happened to the children who were rounded up without their parents. Genocide is being perpetrated not only at Auschwitz, but at other camps, such as Treblinka, Belzec, and Sobibor. Astonishingly, rival Nazi camp commanders participate with enthusiasm and share ideas for the best method of mass murder.


Part 4 - Corruption

Reveals the financial contributions Auschwitz made to the Third Reich. The Nazi plan was to kill "useless mouths" instantly upon arrival at Auschwitz and to work stronger prisoners to death as slave laborers in places like the nearby IG Farben factory. The SS also profited from the belongings of those they killed—so much so, that in the summer of 1943, an investigation was launched into corruption in the camp and Rudolf Höss, the commandant, was removed. Elsewhere, although infrequently, some individuals and groups were finding ways to resist the spread of deportations. Denmark, for example, was able to protect its Jewish citizens from Auschwitz.


Part 5 - Murder and Intrigue

Explores the complex web of international politics spun during the last nine months of 1944. By that spring, the Allies knew about Auschwitz and had the military capability to bomb it. Yet despite the poignant pleas of Jewish leaders, the British and Americans decided not to bomb the railways or gas chambers. During the spring and summer, hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz at a time when the killing machinery had been honed to perfection. That autumn saw a significant act of resistance in Auschwitz when a group of Jewish prisoners revolted. Amazingly, before their deaths, some secretly wrote about their experiences.


Part 6 - Liberation and Revenge

Completes the history of Auschwitz. As the end of the war approached, Auschwitz camp officers tried to hide the evidence of their crimes but were not completely successful. After liberation, survivors searched for their families and tried to return to their pre-war homes, but former communities and neighbors did not always welcome them back. As evidence of war crimes emerged, some senior SS officers were tried and convicted; others were allowed to resume their lives. Over four years, 1.3 million people were sent to Auschwitz, and 1.1 million people died there. Of the 7,000 members of the SS who worked at Auschwitz and survived the war, fewer than 800 were ever put on trial.

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Thanks, JDeere: this is a nice post; I hope who made this atrocity still burning in hell. Saludos desde México my friend. juanda47.

Thankyou for the great share, Doco's like this need to be shared and viewed by all so such attrocities never happen again.

Thanks

thanks

Thanks for sharing

thank you